A statement posted on their website reads: "Dear Customer. As you no doubt will be aware, many companies including RB, have been impacted by the cyber-attack linked to Microsoft software systems.

"The virus is highly potent - it's being investigated by Government agencies and the major security and technology firms, and there remains only a limited understanding of it and only one firm recommendation on how to cope with it.

"Although we are working round the clock to minimise the impact on customers and suppliers, we do anticipate that some markets will experience delays in shipping and invoicing. We hope to be in a position to resolve this as soon as possible and in the interim we ask that if you have any questions, you reach out to your normal RB contact for more information.

"We apologise for any inconvenience and rest assured we have marshalled significant resources to rectify the situation as soon as possible.

"We will update all key customer contacts throughout the day and will post all updates via RB.com and our normal social channels."

The company is responsible for dozens of brands, including Dettol, Harpic, Strepsil, Neurofen and Clearasil.